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Archive for August, 2006

There is a time and a place for everything except being mean. Is the way you treat others really the way you want to be treated? I attended a conference yesterday where most of the people there wanted to hear what the speaker had to say, but then there were three “jerks” in the room whos sole purpose for being there was to disrupt the meeting.

If you had to choose “you” to be a friend, would you?

I can’t help but remember a lesson I learned probably in the first grade. “Remember, when you point a finger at someone else, you have three pointing back at you!”

Attitude will make or break you, don’t you agree?

Opportunity is never lost, it goes to those ready to accept it

Success!
Carolyn

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Ice Breakers
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School Zone

An off-duty police officer, familiar with radar speed
checking equipment, drove through a school zone
within the legal speed limit when suddenly the flash
of a camera went off, taking a picture of his car and
license plate.

The officer, thinking the radar was in error, drove
by again; even more slowly.
Another flash.

He did it again for a third time, at an even slower
speed. Same result.

So, he made a note to himself to contact the traffic
department and tell them that their machine wasn’t
working properly.

A few weeks later, the off-duty police officer
received an envelope from the police department
containing three traffic citations, each of them were
for NOT wearing a seat belt.

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Quotable
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“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Daily Tip
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OK, now you have your list of Non Profit Organizations to contact and you have the name of the contact person, now what? Do you have your letter written? Do you know what you want to say when you call? Do you have a proposal all made up that can be changed to reflect the interests of the group you will be speaking to? In other words, before you ever call on the first person on your list make sure all of your ducks are in a row. That doesn’t mean that everything has to be perfect before striking out, but it does mean Preparation!

Have you heard all of the hullabalu about the Butterfly Marketing Manuscript by Mike Filsaime? I have been reading a few things and wondering just what this was all about. I have purchased products from Mike in the past and have found them to be of high quality and always, always learn something from his work. Well today, I finally broke down and took a good look at Butterfly Marketing but more importantly the model he has laid out This man is a marketing genus if there ever was one. I started reading the manuscript and am finding it very difficult to move away from my computer screen reading it. Don’t just take my word for it, take a good look for yourself then decide if it will help you to improve your bottom line. Carolyn Recommends Butterfly Marketing! I am glad that I did and I do believe you will too! Even if you don’t buy his book, just going through the process is quite a learning experience. ( http://cwinsonlin.bfmscript.hop.clickbank.net )

Success!
Carolyn

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Ice Breakers
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Florida Summer

You Know It’s Summer in Florida When…
– When your car is overheating before you drive it.

– Your computer won’t work unless it has it’s own AC blowing on it.

– Hot air balloons can’t go up, because the air
outside is hotter than the heated air in the balloon

– Airplanes can’t land because the asphalt runways
are too soft.

– You discover that you can drive the car using only
two fingers on the hot steering wheel.

-More hot water comes from the cold water tap
than the hot one.

– Your pool water boils so much in the sun that you
can boil potatoes in ten minutes in it.

– You burn the grass by watering it with the hose.

– The hot-dogs sold outside the Home Depot are
actually hot

– A hot shower cools you off.

– The politicians have to take their hands out of your
pockets to fan themselves

– You cover the leather seats in the car with cloth
or sit on towels.

– At noon in July, the kids are on summer vacation,
and no one is moving on the streets.

– Sunscreen is sold at the front of the checkout
counter, a formula less than 30 spf is a joke, and
you wear it just to go shopping.

– You notice the best parking place is determined
by the shade under trees instead of the distance to
the door.

– All picnics feature hot food like it or not.

– There is no such thing as “Cool Aid”

– The beaches are over populated with natives
instead of tourists.

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Quotable
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“If you don’t run your own life, someone else will.”

– John Atkinson

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Daily Tip
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why should you have the organization you are working with create and send invitations? I can answer that in one word – “credibility!” Invitations are also a personal thing that are received in the mail. Any really important fund raising events will have formal invitations similar in fact to wedding invitations. Envelops will be hand written instead of using printed labels. Why? Perceived value! Think about it.

Kids are back in school, at least in our neck of the woods they are. Business for homemakers will get back on schedule and we can start looking ahead to the Holidays. September first begins a busy time of year for most successful business enterprises and yours is no different. Give people reasons to buy! It will help them to do what they need to do faster and easier. Learning how to make your product of service fit the bill is the key to building a solid viable business. The topic of discussion this week is Working With Non-Profit Organizations. Do read the full article at http://winassoc1.netfirms.com/p hpbb/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=445

Success!
Carolyn

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Ice Breakers
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Bar-B-Q

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following
chain of events are put into motion:

1. The woman does the shopping.

2. The woman makes the salad, vegetables and dessert.

3. The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it
on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils
and sauces, and takes it to the man, who is lounging
beside the grill, beer in hand.

4. The man places the meat on the grill.

5. The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.

6. The woman comes out to tell the man that the
meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will
bring another beer whilst he deals with the situation.

7. The man takes the meat off the grill and hands it
to the woman.

8. The woman prepares the plates and brings them
to the table.

9. After eating, the woman clears the table and
does the dishes.

10. Everyone praises man and thanks him for his
cooking efforts…..(and so they should!)

11. The man asks the woman how she enjoyed
“her night off.”

And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes
that there’s just no pleasing some women!

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Quotable
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“Keep a green tree alive in your heart and a songbird may come to sing there.”

– Chinese Proverb
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Daily Tip
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Don’t just sign up a Non-Profit and expect some puny announcement in their newsletter to create even a drop of business, it could happen but don’t depend on it.

Have you ever considered working with non-profit organizations as a wat ti build your business? It is a real win-win situation. Look at it! They are great at fund-raisers and are always looking for a new way to raise money. You have a great product or service to offer that can be a source of income for the non-profit. Why not work together? It actually can be done and to everyone’s benefit. This is the topic for discussion in your marketing efforts. How can you work with your favorite charity to the benefit of both.

Success!
Carolyn

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Ice Breakers
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Doctor Visit

An elderly man went to the doctor for a visit. “Doc,”
he says,” I am so stricken. I have chest pains,
headaches, back pains, nausea, arthritis, stomach
cramps, constipation, earaches, burning in the eyes,
congested lungs…”
“Sir,” says the doctor, “you complain you have so
many things. What don’t you have?”
The man answers, “Teeth.”

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Quotable
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“A leader leads through inspiration. People like to work with people going places and are starved for the energy and excitement that business was always meant to have.”

Loral Langemeier

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Daily Tip
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As part of this discussion on non-profit organizations your first task will be to get together a list. Here we go again with the list. Carolyn, can’t anything be done without making a list first? Well, let me tell you, in my experience everything begins with a list.

Who are your favorite charities?
What charities in your town or community do fund raisers?
Who is the head or decision maker of your local group?

Work on this list over the next few days. You goal 20 charities and 20 names. Do you think you can do that? You may be surprised.
Happy designing!

In my opinion this statement is probably the most important one in the article this week – “You will be solely responsible for your success or failure.” Would you hire you as a consultant? Would you choose to be your friend and mentor? Think about it quite separate from yourself. If you wouldn’t hire you or your company, why would anyone else? If you wouldn’t want “you” to be a mentor, why not? Gandhi said, “you, have to be the change you want to see in the world.” Building a business whether you just want a business that will make you an extra $200 – $500. a month or a business that will earn in the six and seven figures is more about building yourself into that person. Why do people fail in direct marketing? More often than not it is because of a “know it all attitude” The only person who cannot grow is the person that refuses to admit that he doesn’t know everything there is to know.

Success!
Carolyn

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Ice Breakers
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Carry-On

Explaining luggage regulations to passengers
can be aggravating for flight attendants.
One day a woman tried to board with an
enormous bag.

The lead flight attendant told her why it would
not fit, but the woman argued that her bag
was a carry-on because it had wheels and a handle.
Without blinking the attendant said, “My Ford
has wheels and a handle, but that doesn’t make
it a carry-on.”

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Quotable
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“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

-Thomas A. Edison
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Daily Tip
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Pull through marketing, creating a customer demand for your product. When consumers want your product, distribution is easy. Every store, catalog and distributor wants a piece of this easy action. All they have to do is supply the product to the eager consumer.

With pull through marketing you actually attract prospects to come to you pre-sold.
To learn more about pull through marketing subscribe to Big Al’s newsletter at http://www.fortunenow.com
Happy designing!

The next point that Charrissa brings up is: Determine how much money you want to invest. There is always an investment in both time and money in any business start-up or in the continuation of that business for sure. She states, “You should only invest the amount of money you are willing to lose.” Advertising is by far the biggest gamble in managing a business, but if you don’t take the risk at all, your business will never grow. When you promote keep good records. As an example: I distributed 1000 flyers on pink paper, they produced 10 inquiries. I distributed 1000 flyers on goldenrod, they produced 18 inquiries. Which would you continue using? How would you know if you didn’t keep records?

Success!
Carolyn

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Ice Breakers
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Those that can, do.
Those that can’t do, teach.
And those that can’t teach, administrate.

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Quotable
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“The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.”

-Richard Bach
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Daily Tip
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How do you feel about contests as a method of promoting your program? It seems that everyone wants something for nothing and contests are a good way to accomplish this. Be sure to check with your local C of C whether contests are legal in your particular area. You will have some investment in flyers or cards promoting the contest, but it is for certain that people that enter have some degree of interest in that which you are promoting. If you can promote something about your product or service where everyone wins something you will be able to add a good many names to your contact list.
Happy designing!

How will you advertise your direct sales company and how much will it cost? While most of us would like to have effective advertising with no cost, it is very much a fallicy. We all know it does in fact take money to make money. In the early days of the Internet unfortunately many made their fortune through spamming methods and as we know we could loose everything we have worked for if caught spammig these days. With all the spam we get in our mailbox one would have to wonder if this is actually true. Learning to market your product or service becomes your primary goal once your site is set up and your sales letters are written. And so begins the descussion of pulling your customers in rather than pushing them through and out.

Success!
MizC

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Ice Breakers
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There once was an old man from Esser,
Who’s knowledge grew lesser and lesser.
It at last grew so small,
He knew nothing at all,
And now he’s a College Professor.

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Quotable
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“We have a choice: to plow new ground or let the weeds grow.”

-Jonathan Westover
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Daily Tip
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If you stood in front of a grocery store and handed out samples of your product with cents off coupons, would you be pushing or pulling? Finding the demand for a product is behind pull marketing so it stands to reason that when people accept a sample or use a cents off coupon there is an implied demand for the product. This very simple marketing tactic can be put to use in many many ways. Can you put just one way to work in your marketing today? When you do, comment in the forum what you did and the outcome.
Happy designing!